History of Scandinavian Airlines

History of Scandinavian Airlines Introduction The Scandinavian Airlines is also known as SAS. The company was initially referred to as Scandinavian Airlines System and it is the main carrier in three countries, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on History of Scandinavian Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Headquartered in Sigtuna, Sweden, SAS operates in at least thirty countries, with an outstanding international performance and record (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). Its number of aircrafts is approximated to be 198, which operate to 176 destinations in the world. The company is also among the oldest carriers, having been established in 1940s as a group of three national airlines, which included DNL from Norway, DDL of 1918 from Denmark and ABA founded in Sweden in 1924 (Bhardwaj, 2010). This report gives an analysis of the Scandinavian Airlines with regard to a wide range of business aspects. Of great significance in thi s report will be the major focus on SAS marketing strategies that have propelled the company to its current business niche in a competitive flying business. What is its secret? To answer this question, the report synthesizes the company’s major product lines and its market segmentation in meeting the needs of customers. Since customer satisfaction and segmentation are essential business principles, the report further explores the design, management and promotion of its products in order to realize the intended purpose throughout its operations as a flag carrier in the above mentioned three countries. In other segments, the report will give details on how SAS manages its public image and the management approach in winning the confidence and loyalty of its customers beyond what it can offer. The concluding section of the report will cover several recommendations that are necessary for SAS to remain a major carrier in over thirty countries around the world.Advertising Lo oking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More SAS history As mentioned above, the Scandinavian Airlines company began in 1946 in Denmark before it merged with several companies from other countries through business partnerships, with the merger between SAS and ABA in 1951 culminating into its birth (Bhardwaj, 2010). Based on a wide range of factors, the three entities under SAS umbrella owned shares as follows: both SAS Norge and SAS Danmark owned 28.6% while SAS Sverige was the majority share holder with 42.8% (Air Review, n.d.). Throughout its operations and history, SAS has attained significant reputation, outshining its competitors by far. For instance, the carrier became the first to fly on a trans-polar route in the year 1951. The rout was between Copenhagen and Los Angeles, with four major stops in Greenland, Sà ¸ndre Strà ¸mfjord, Canada and Winnipeg (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). Notably, t he route became famous as it was highly preferred by Hollywood personalities flying to Europe. Besides this boost by celebrities, the route further advertised the airline in Europe and other major cities around the world. By late 1950s, the tans-polar route enjoyed massive popularity among tourists from the United States, an achievement that highly contributed to the success story of the company. This idea broadened as the company introduced other similar routes to Japan and Alaska even though it experienced license resistance from the former USSR (Air Review, n.d.).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on History of Scandinavian Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another achievement for the company was realized in 1957 when it launched â€Å"round the world flying service through the North Pole.† Due to its determination and fast expansion, the Scandinavian Airlines joined jet aircraft service in 1957 and ac quired Boeing 747, the first of its kind in the year 1971. As a result of these fascinating advancements, the company continued to dominate and control local markets in the three main countries of origin (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). In order to expand its global influence and coverage, SAS considered the formation of a worldwide alliance when it purchased 18.4% of TAC, Texas Air Corporation. Nevertheless, SAS later sold the stake, but continued to acquire others from different countries. These included 20% of British Midland, Air Greenland and 95% of a Spanish leading airline, Spanair in 2009. The Star Alliance was formed in 1997 when SAS joined forces with United Airlines, Air Canada, Thai Airways International and Lufthansa (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). However, its 2001 strategy with three other companies, Swissair, Austrian and KLM turned out to be unsuccessful, leading to the dismissal of the company’s CEO as he was believed to have contributed to the financial turnaround o f the company (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). In order to regain its dwindling status and public image, SAS implemented a new ownership structure which saw Sweden own 21.4% while Norway and Denmark had an equal share holding of 14.3% each. Unlike in the previous structure, the public was allowed to control 50% of the company’s shares through the stock market (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). Even though SAS was divided into four different companies in 2004, the two reunited in 2009 to retain a single entity (Ujaraq, 2010).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Scandinavian Airlines Routes As mentioned before, SAS has its headquarters in Sweden, though the company has a well established market in Europe. According to recent findings, approximately 85% of the company’s non-international flights heavily contribute to its turnover. Out of these flights, close to 41% were realized with flights headed to Europe while domestic flights added to a total of 30.1% (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). On the other hand, Intra-Scandinavian flights contributed 14.3%. An example of this route is Stockholm-Copenhagen. Lastly, international flights like Stockholm-New York constitute an average of 14.6% of the revenue realized from passengers. Importantly, Scandinavian Airlines is the leading share holder in the market with almost 90% of the shares. The company further possesses 80%, 89% and 97% in Sweden, Denmark and Norwegian markets respectively. Having its management leadership unit in Scandinavian, it deals with high profile competitors like Malmà ¶ Av iation and Flynordic (Jens, 2005). Its routes have remained vital in marketing the company’s outstanding performance as a way of winning new customers. Scandinavian Airlines routes are also important in catering for different market segments. For instance, SAS international serves eleven destinations including New York, Chicago, Bangkok, Dubai and Beijing among others (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). The fleet has ten Airbus, seven A340-300s and four A330-300s. SAS Danmark is responsible for all European traffic via, from and to the country. It also augments development of Copenhagen as SAS’s main hub. Additionally, it facilitates the sale of the Group’s airlines and its business partners in the entire Danish market. It serves up to 23 countries, with 50 destinations and operates with a fleet of 52 aircrafts (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). On the other hand, SAS Norge caters for customers flying via, from and to Norway. The airline was founded in 2004. SAS Norge is ra nked as the leading air travel operator in domestic routes in the country. Lastly, Swedish travel air market is dominated by SAS Sverige, which coordinates all sales activities among partners in the country besides being responsible for the traffic from, to and via the country (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). The adoption of the four airlines was to augment SAS’ ability to cater for different market segments. In other words, the needs of customers are addressed independent of what happens in another country. This also promotes its service delivery, wins the loyalty of customers, gives the company a positive public image and manages its business products (SAS, 2012). SAS vision, values and business concept In promoting its products and winning the confidence of customers, the activities of the Scandinavian Airlines are driven by defined values and vision. This ensures that the company remains focused in pursuing its course and maintains a stable competitive advantage. The compan y’s business concept is to serve the entire Europe with air travel and a major hub in North Europe (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). From a 2006 Annual Report, SAS has a vision of becoming the preferred choice for air travel. On the other hand, SAS’ values are summarized by four ideas as described below: The company believes that its customers are the most important assets that have to be highly valued in ensuring its success in air travel. As a result, the company lays immense emphasis upon its customers and employees. Through this consideration, the company strives to respect the environmental and social responsibilities of stakeholders (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). This is to say that, customers and employees are viewed to be part of the global SAS business family. Secondly, the air carrier maintains a reliable status throughout its operations. As a result, the company has won the confidence and loyalty of its customers by proving that it is the safest, consistent and tr ustworthy airline in Europe. This reliability has led to the company being ranked highest in terms of punctuality of its flights (Star Alliance, 2012). Last year, Scandinavian Airlines was voted as most punctual air Travel Company throughout the year, and position one in July and August of the same year. Similarly, the company was ranked as the most punctual in Europe in 2009 and third place worldwide. SAS’ third idea is implemented through value addition and creation. In its daily activities, the company has remained determined to pursue a professional methodology through innovative ideas. In essence, the company develops innovative strategies so that new advancements are merged with existing ones with the aim of maintaining and improving the value of the company’s products and services (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). Additionally, the company observes high levels of openness especially to stakeholders, employees and customers. This is principally achieved through high le vel of honesty and transparency especially in the overall management. Scandinavian Airlines Strategies In promoting its products, winning customer loyalty and catering for the needs of its customers, SAS has several strategies that are considered to be essential drivers. Among these are flight safety, excellent services and punctuality (Jones, 2012). Notably, the company is interested in offering high quality services to its customers. As a result, the management believes that promoting the safety of customers has significance impact in advancing such a course (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). It therefore invests heavily in maintenance of aircrafts and giving attention to areas that may pose security threats and accidents. The company is also sensitive to effective service delivery. As a result, the number of employees is determined by the size of the airport and necessary adjustments are frequently made to attain this target. It has a wider scope of becoming the most punctual airline in Europe and around the world (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). In appreciating technology, the company has improved its booking services by introducing e-tickets where customers can reserve flight seats at the comfort of their office or at home as long they are connected on the web. High-class lounges are also used in winning customers. Among other adverts done by the company to market its products, it uses flyer cards to give relevant information to customers, including status of flights, charges, offers and destinations among other particulars (SAS, 2012). Scandinavian Airlines further benefits from its Star Alliance Membership since 1997. The alliance has seen the number of customers increase tremendously, thus allowing it to realize increased overall turnover. The company has also marketed its services by partnering with other companies especially form Baltic countries (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). It is worth noting that about fifty destinations in the region are operated by diff erent airliners that are SAS’ partners. In addressing the needs of customers, the greatest strategy of Scandinavian Airlines is increasing its competitive advantage within the market. It aims at providing services at any time regardless of the location of the customer. As mentioned earlier, e-booking has become one of the quickest ways of improving the company’s efficacy in service delivery. It is quicker, easily processed and cuts down distribution costs that were experienced during massive manual booking (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). In dealing with customer problems online, SAS has partnered with several electronic travel agencies to provide solutions to customers. This has played a major role in promoting the services of the company, where almost 400 travel agencies operate. Through the use of SAS Direct service, customers receive service support concerning any issue ranging from booking to flight status (Kotler, Bowen Makens, 2009). Besides e-booking, Scandinavi an Airlines uses the internet as a marketing and information tool. Its website is one of the most interactive in air travel in Europe (Ujaraq, 2010). Literally, the website is a virtual SAS office, having all the information needed by customers. The website details the company’s products including routes, available flights, booking solutions, company profile, current and upcoming offers, annual reports, contact and feedback links among others (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). This plays a major role in promoting SAS products, catering for customers’ needs from different regions and maintaining good public image. As a distribution channel, it is projected that the website will become a cost-effective marketing tool for future growth. The table below shows e-ticket, self-service and Internet check-in in percentage (Jones, 2012). Retrieved from: umu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:140520/FULLTEXT01 Additionally, SAS meets the needs of different customers in the market by offer ing various price options depending on the class and aircraft model. For instance, the company launched a low-cost carrier called Snowflake in 2003 and targets customers who cannot afford high-class flights (Nigam, 2010). Recommendation and conclusion From this report, it is doubtless that SAS Airlines is quite strategic in maintaining its competitiveness within European Air Travel. Through effective service delivery and relevant products, the company has won customer loyalty, met the needs of customers from different countries and promoted good public image. Through approaches like entertainment, accessibility to lounges, offers, e-booking, meals, honest management and discounts, the company has maintained its high profile in the industry. With its current status, the company has an uphill task to maintain the standards of its services, having in mind that it faces stiff competition from other international carriers. Continuous training of its employees is paramount coupled with pe ople-oriented management (Kotler, Bowen Makens, 2009). Lastly, technological advancements have to be improved to catch-up with the ever-changing world. References Air Review. (n.d.). SAS Scandinavian Airlines Review and Opinions. Air Review. Retrieved from airreview.com/SAS/index.htm Bhardwaj, A. (2010). Scandinavian Airlines: The Green Engine Decision. Slide share. Retrieved from slideshare.net/rekhasr/scandinavian-airlines-v15 Helterlin, G., Ramalho, N. (2007). Case studies: SAS Airline Ryanair. Umea University. Retrieved from umu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:140520/FULLTEXT01 Jens, F. (2005). Scandinavian Revival. Aviation Week Space Technology, 162 (3), 411-411. Jones, P. (2012). Market Segmentation. Global Spec. Retrieved from globalspec.com/reference/43564/203279/market-segmentation Kotler, P., Bowen, J., Makens, J. (2009). Marketing for hospitality and tourism. London: Pearson. Nigam, S. (2010). SAS Scandinavian Airlines conquers niche airline marketing by first same sex wedding on a plane. Simpliflying. Retrieved from http://simpliflying.com/2010/sas-scandinavian-airlines-conquers-niche-airline-marketing-by-first-same-sex-wedding-on-a-plane/ SAS. (2012). Customer Success. SAS Institute Inc. Retrieved from sas.com/success/scanair.html Scandinavian Airlines. (2012). Scandinavian Airlines. SAS. Retrieved from flysas.com/en/?vst=true# Star Alliance. (2012). Scandinavian Airlines. Star Alliance. Retrieved from staralliance.com/en/about/airlines/scandinavian_airlines/ Ujaraq, P. (2010). Scandinavian Airlines repositioning strategies. Ã…rhus School of Business. Retrieved from http://pure.au.dk/portal-asb-student/files/13054/Report.pdf

Ancestry of Oprah Winfrey

Ancestry of Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey was born in 1954 in rural Mississippi, the child of a love affair between Vernon Winfrey and Vernita Lee. Her parents never married, and Oprah spent much of her youth being shuttled between various relatives. From her troubled childhood, Oprah Winfrey has grown into a household name, achieving success as a talk show host, actress, producer, publisher, and activist. Tips for Reading This Family Tree First Generation: 1. Oprah Gail WINFREY was born on 29 Jan 1954 on in the small town of Kosciusko, Attala County, Mississippi to Vernon WINFREY and Vernita LEE. Shortly after her birth, her mother Vernita moved north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and young Oprah was left in the care of her maternal grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee. At age six, Oprah left Mississippi to join her mother in Milwaukee. After several troubling, neglected years with her mother and half-siblings, Oprah moved again at the age of 14 to join her father in Nashville, Tennessee. Second Generation (Parents): 2. Vernon WINFREY was born in 1933 in Mississippi. 3. Vernita LEE was born in 1935 in Mississippi. Vernon WINFREY and Vernita LEE were never married and their only child was Oprah Winfrey: 1 i. Oprah Gail WINFREY Third Generation (Grandparents): 4. Elmore E. WINFREY was born 12 March 1901 in Poplar Creek, Montgomery County, Michigan and died on 15 October 1988 in Kosciusko, Attala County, Mississippi 5. Beatrice WOODS was born on 18 February 1902 in Kosciusko, Attala County, Mississippi and died on 1 December 1999 in Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi. Elmore WINFREY and Beatrice WOODS married on 10 June 1925 in Carroll County, Mississippi, and they had the following children: i. Lee W. WINFREYii. Brister WINFREYiii. Marie WINFREY2. iv. Vernon WINFREY 6. Earlist LEE was born about June 1892 in Mississippi and died in 1959 in Kosciusko, Attala County, Mississippi. 7. Hattie Mae PRESLEY was born about April 1900 in Kosciusko, Attala County, Mississippi and died on 27 Feb 1963 in Kosciusko, Attala County, Mississippi. Earlist LEE and Hattie Mae PRESLEY were married about 1918 and had the following children: i. Susie LEE was born about 1920.ii. Hal LEE was born about 1922.iii. Willis S. LEE was born about 1925.iv. Hubert LEE was born about 1928.3. v. Vernita LEE

The European Central Bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The European Central Bank - Essay Example (ECB, n.d.) From the moment of its inception, the European Central Bank has been a favorite target of criticisms from economists and political leaders alike. Surprisingly, among its staunch critics are European countries themselves which suffer economically because of the oftentimes rigid and unreasonable policies ECB follows. This paper will thus examine how the political and economic world perceives the performance of the central bank in this regard. Commentaries from analysts, studies done by independent economic research bodies, and the media will be the three main sources for this research. "The list of challenges is long and a lot of work lies in front of us." This was the concluding statement of Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, member of the ECB Executive Board during a speech on a conference in Vienna, Austria in 2004. However, she was optimistic that the system would be able to handle challenges that would be present along the way. (ECB, 2004) Among the many challenges present is how to balance decision-making with regards to rate increase to benefit all the economies of the EU member states. Because the ECB does not only cater to a single economy, it has this inherent challenge. An increase in rate would mean a negative effect on a country with a growing economy while it is a positive move for a country with a high inflation rate. The GoCurrency website cited that "several larger economies in the euro area (Germany, for example) that were recently coming out of an economic slump were unhappy as the higher rates would stunt their growth."(GoCurrency, 2006) One classic example often mentioned by analysts is the effect of low interest rates in countries with property bubbles such as Ireland. Because "the ECB was keeping rates low to help the stodgy economies of France and Germany, where growth was weak and needed nurturing, the need of the Irish to raise rates to help their already ailing economy is not addressed". (Louth, 2007) With the recent slump in mortgages in the American market, ECB is once more in the dilemma of raising rates in September or not. It should be noted that this is the first time since September 2001 that there is a proposed increase in rates. (MECB Update, 2002, p 3) Jean-Claude Trichet, President of ECB, indicated in August that the ECB "will raise its key refinancing rate to 4.25 from 4.0." (TodayOnline, 2007) However, there has been pressure from the world community to halt this intended rate increase. The article that appeared on the Business World website entitled "NCB: Another ECB hike could be risky", quoted NCB analyst Dermot O'Brien as saying that the credibility of the ECB may be in question if it does not proceed with the intended rise in rates and sticking to its original plan would be seen as immature stubbornness. This is the current dilemma. (Business World, 2007) With the "surprisingly weak growth figures for the

Gulf country orientation of Renewable energy Research Paper

Gulf country orientation of Renewable energy - Research Paper Example Given the potential for renewable energy in the GCC and the need for renewable energy due to large scale infrastructure development and reliance on energy, a number of renewable energy projects have been undertaken in the GCC states (Alnaser and Alnaser, 2011). This paper presents an overview of the renewable energy orientation in the Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) make up the six states in the GCC and are regarded as among the world’s ‘major oil and natural gas producing countries’ (Reiche, 2010: 2395). The GCC states are ranked among the world’s top 25 carbon dioxide emitters ‘per capita’ (Reiche, 2010: 2395). Due to infrastructure and economic development in the GCC, the demand for electricity has increased exponentially and the GCC states have been forced to consider renewable energy sources. With an abundant source of solar and wind energy, it is hardly surprising that the GCC countries have taken the initiative to plan for the implementation of renewable energy as a solution to the pending energy crisis brought on by high demands for electricity (Hertog and Luciani, 2009). There are three main advantages to GCC states in implementing renewable energy sources. The first advantage is a reduction in the cost of power plants together with reduced costs in the transmitting and distributing operations. Secondly, with reliance on renewable energy sources at home, the GCC states can increase their oil and natural gas exports which would normally be put to use locally and finally, GCC states would benefit from a reduction in carbon monoxide emissions from conventional power plants (Sharples and Radhi, 2013). The European Union (EU), as a driver of renewable energy elsewhere signed the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network agreement with the GCC in 2010. In signing the EU-GCC Lean Energy Network, the EU has undertaken to and taken action for the promotion and ‘transfer of expertise and

Inductive Exegesis Paper -- Religion, Bible, Paul

CONTEXT Most NT Scholars acknowledge 1 Thessalonians was written by Paul and dated around A.D. 50. The recipients were new converted Christians in Thessalonica where Paul newly built the infant church on the second missionary trip. To understand the reason why Paul wrote the letter, we need to explore into the situation of Thessalonians’ church has dealt with. Acts 17 describes the church of Thessalonica was being non-stop attacked since it was set up. The attacks reflected in Paul wrote some â€Å"bad word† against the oppressors (1 Thess 2:14b) and reminded the Thessalonians he had warned them in before (3:4). The oppositions and attacks became so severely that Paul and his companions had to leave Thessalonica suddenly. They were continually chased in Beroea until they furthered to Athens. Since Paul has not spent much time in this infant church, he was so worry about the newly converters faith. Paul tried to go back to Thessalonica but he was blocked. (2:17-18). Then, he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to pasture them. Timothy finally brought back good news by reporting the church was standing firmly in faith (3:6), but might need â€Å"more teaching in certain area and of encouragement in trials.† Paul obviously could not go back at that time and in this context he wrote the letters of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. The 1 Thessalonians consists two halves: the first half (1:6-3:13) concerns Paul's original visit to Thessalonica and the converters responses to the Gospel. The second half (4:1-5:22) is Paul's teaching on the Thessalonian believers about the issues of conduct and beliefs. In Chapter 4, Paul begins with â€Å"Finally, brother† (v.1) obviously indicating he is turning to a new set of topics to advise. After making advice on mai... ...Thess 4:13-18 expressed how Paul interprets the relation of Jesus’ resurrection and the Parousia. Since 1 Cor 15 Paul has also discussed the issue of Jesus’ resurrection, this passage, written early than 1 Corinthians, provides good cross reference for further investigation of how Paul viewing Jesus’ resurrection. And Paul expresses different Christ’ works and identities in this passage which providing good resources in preaching and Bible study in the church. Question 1.Paul does not clearly explain about the status of resurrection, is same as Jesus’ resurrection, is body resurrection (Jesus showed his hands and wound ribs to ten disciples and Thomas) or in other form? 2. The apocalyptic depictions of â€Å"word of command†, â€Å"archangel figures† and â€Å"trumpet of God† have not been explored much in this paper for lack of space. I think we should ponder more in detail.

Management and Cost Accounting Assignment

B313F Management and Cost Accounting Assignment 1 Date due:29 October 2008 Weighting:15% of the total marks of the course Question 1(25 marks) Mini Case – Seto’s Storage Warehouse Paul Seto owns and manages a commercial storage warehouse. He stores a vast variety of perishable goods for his customers. Under the existing pricing policy, he has charged customers using a flat rate of $2. 40 per kilogram per month for goods stored. His storage warehouse has 10,000 cubic metres of storage capacity.In the past two years, Seto has become dissatisfied with the profitability of the warehouse operation. Despite the fact that the warehouse remains relatively full, revenues have not kept pace with operating costs. Recently, Seto approached his accountant, Albert Lo, about using activity-based costing (ABC) to improve his understanding of the causes of costs and revise the pricing formula. Lo has determined that most costs can be associated with one of four activities. Those activit ies and their related monthly costs, volume measures, and volume levels for 2008 are as follows: Activity |Cost |Monthly Volume Measure | |Send/receive goods | $80,000 |Weight in kilograms – 50,000 | |Store goods | $8,000 |Volume in cubic metres – 800 | |Move goods | $10,000 |Volume in square metres – 500 | |Identify goods | $3,000 |Number of packages – 500 |Lo has also collected last month’s information on the following 3 customers whose goods were all received on the first day of last month. |Customers |Weight of Order |Cubic Metres |Square Metres |Number of Packages | | |(Kilograms) | | | | |Sunshine Co. |20,000 |600 |30 |10 | |Best Buy Co. 20,000 |400 |20 |40 | |Chow’s Trading |20,000 |200 | 100 | 160 | Seto would like Lo to perform some analyses based on the above information and data in order to evaluate whether to use ABC. Required: a. Determine the price to be charged to each of the 3 customers under the existing pricing policy. (3 m arks) b. Based on the monthly activity cost and volume data provided, determine the amount of cost assigned to each of the 3 customers. 10 marks) c. Determine the price to be charged to each of the 3 customers using activity-based costing (ABC), assuming Seto would base the price on the cost determined in part (b) plus a markup of 40 percent. (3 marks) d. Critically discuss whether Seto’s existing pricing policy captures the costs incurred to provide the warehouse services. (5 marks) e. A cost hierarchy categorizes costs into different cost pools on the basis of the different types of cost drivers or cost-allocation bases. Describe the four levels of a manufacturing cost hierarchy under the ABC system. 4 marks) Question 2(25 marks) Antique Furnishings Ltd. is a Yuen Long based manufacturer making three unique wood products: bed-frames, coffee tables, footstools. These products are completely carved by hand by skilled craftspeople who have been trained in making these products . Since it takes about a year to train each craftsperson, the labour cost is a fixed production constraint over the short term. For the year ended 31 December 2008, the company expects to have 34,000 available labour hours. The average hourly labour rate is $25.Information regarding the current product line is as follows: Bed-framesCoffee tablesFootstools $ $ $ Selling price900 680 240 Variable costs: Direct material220 160 60 Direct manufacturing-labour costs 300 275 75 Indirect manufacturing-labour costs 80 40 21 Other indirect manufacturing costs100 80 20 Variable selling expense 20 15 10 Variable manufacturing costs are variable with respect to units produced. Variable selling expenses are variable with respect to units sold.Fixed costs: Indirect manufacturing-labour costs 80,000 Other indirect manufacturing costs 70,000 Selling & administration 75,000 Required: a. Compute the contribution margin per unit for each of the three products above. (6 marks) b. Assuming that the marke t demand exceeds the company’s production capacity for all products, determine the number of units of each product that the company should make. (Hint: You need to maximize the contribution per unit of the scarce resource. ) Calculate the profit before tax based on your determination of units of each product. (7 marks) c.Assuming that the company has a policy of devoting between 20% to 50% of its available skilled labour capacity to one product, determine the number of units of each product that the company should make and calculate the maximum profit before tax. (7 marks) d. Discuss how managers decide whether a cost is a direct or an indirect cost and describe the factors that will affect the classification of a cost as direct or indirect. (5 marks) Question 3(25 marks) DVD Express is a large manufacturer of affordable DVD players. Management recently became aware of rising costs resulting from returns of malfunctioning products.As a starting point for further analysis, Bon nie Lee, the controller, wants to test different forecasting methods and then use the best one to forecast quarterly expenses for 2009. The relevant data for the previous three years follows: 2006Return 2007Return2008Return QuarterExpensesQuarterExpensesQuarterExpenses 1$15,0001$16,2001$16,600 217,500217,800218,100 318,500318,800319,000 418,600417,700419,200 The result of a simple regression analysis using all 12 data points yielded an intercept of $16,559. 09 and a coefficient for the independent variable of $183. 22 (R-squared = . 27, t = 1. 4, SE = 1128). Required: a. Calculate the quarterly forecast for 2009 using the high-low method and regression analyses. Recommend which method Bonnie should use. (15 marks) b. How does your analysis in requirement #1 change if DVD Express manufactures its products in multiple global production facilities to serve the global market? (5 marks) c. How do we know when high correlation exists? Explain whether high correlation is the same as cause and effect? (5 marks) Question 4(25 marks) Quik Printing Inc. , is a rapidly growing company that has not been profitable despite increases in sales.It has hired you as a consultant to find ways to improve the situation. You believe that the problem results from poor cost control and inaccurate cost estimation on jobs. To gather data for your investigation, you turn to the accounting system and find that it is almost nonexistent. However, you piece together the following information for April: †¢ Production 1. Completed job 101. 2. Started and completed job 102. 3. Started job 103. †¢ Inventory values: 1. Work-in-process inventory: |March 31: Job 101 | | | Direct material†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. $ 2,000 | | Labor (960 hours ( $10)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ | 9,600 | |April 30: Job 103 | | | Direct material†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. |$ 1,600 | | Labor (1,040 hours ( $10)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ | 10,400 | 2. Each job in wor k-in-process inventory was exactly 50 percent completed as to labor hours; however, all direct material necessary to do the entire job was charged to each job as soon as it was started. 3. There were no raw-material inventories or finished-goods inventories at either March 31 or April 30. Actual manufacturing overhead was $20,000. †¢ Cost of goods sold (before adjustment for over-or underapplied overhead): |Job 101 | | | Direct material†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ | $ 2,000 | | Labor†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. | ? | | Overhead†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ | ? | |Total†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ | $ 30,800 | | | | |Job 102 | | | Direct material†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ? | | Labor†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. | ? | | Overhead†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ | ? | |Total†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ | ? | †¢ Overhead was applied to jobs using a predetermined rate per labor dollar that has been used since the company began operations. †¢ All raw materials were purchased for cash and charged directly to Work-in-Process Inventory when purchased. Raw material purchased in April amounted to $4,600. †¢ Direct-labor costs charged to jobs in April totaled $32,000.All labor costs were the same per hour for April for all laborers. Required Write a report, with supporting calculations, to management to show the following: a. The cost elements (direct material, labor, and overhead) of cost of goods sold before adjustment for over-or underapplied overhead for each job sold. (14 marks) b. The value of each cost element (direct material, labor, and overhead) for each job in work-in-process inventor y at April 30. (7 marks) c. Over-or underapplied overhead for April. (4 marks)

Capital Punishment is Not an Effective Crime Deterrent Essay

While Capital Punishment has been one of the most feared things of our time, it is still being questioned if it is unconstitutional. The Death Penalty is being enforced in more than 100 countries in the world and are usually used in politically-related cases. Although it has been the case in many countries throughout the world it has been said that the Death Penalty is cruel and unusual punishment which is a direct violation to the Bill of Rights. Capital Punishment is a certain copy of the earliest days of slavery, when you had no rights or any different opinion, and like then, executions have no place in our civilized society. The Death Penalty, throughout its years of existence, has always†¦show more content†¦There has been substantial evidence to show that courts have been impulsive, racially biased, and unfair in the way in which they have sentenced some persons to prison but others to death. In 1944 Gunnar Myrdal reported in his book American Dilemma that the South makes the widest application of the Death Penalty, and Negro criminals come in for much more than their share of the executions Between the years of 1930 and 1940 the African Americans only made up about 12 percent of the United States population, but between those times they also made up about 51 percent of the people that were executed. Juries are more likely to impose the death penalty on blacks than on whites accused of the same offense (Administra- tion Office of the Courts). Of the 145 cases studied by the Administration Office of the Courts it was shown that whites would have received the death penalty at a higher rate since they met the criteria for capital punishment more often. Yet, the case studies revealed that this was not the situation. Is the value of a white life worth more than a person of color? 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